228 Notes to Chapter 5
Irenaeus’s grouping of Hebrews with Wisdom; they were from the same author (“The Writings of Apollos,”
435). L. Noack (Der Ursprung des Christentums [Leipzig: Fleischer, 1857], 222) had earlier argued for Apollos,
but thought he wrote Wisdom as a Christian convert (e.g., Wis. 2:20 is a key sign). See also for an argument of
the literary influence of Wisdom upon Hebrews: H. von Soden, Hand Commentar zum Neuen Testament, vol.
3.2, Hebraerbrief, Briefe des Petrus, Jakobus, Judas (Leipzig: Mohr Siebeck, 1899). Parallels recognized between
the two books include: Heb. 1:1/Wis. 7:22; Heb. 1:3/Wis. 7:26, 1:21; Heb. 1:6/Wis. 1:7; Heb. 2:5/Wis. 1:7; Heb.
2:10/Wis. 4:13; Heb. 2:14/Wis. 2:24; Heb. 2:15/Wis. 12:2; Heb. 3:3-4/Wis. 13:4; Heb. 3:4/Wis. 9:2; Heb. 3:5/Wis.
17:21; Heb. 3:6/Wis. 16:6, 19:1; Heb. 3:12/Wis. 3:10, 14:25; Heb. 3:14/Wis. 16:21; Heb. 4:6/Wis. 14:6; Heb. 4:9/
Wis. 4:7, 18:22; Heb. 4:12-13/Wis. 1:6, 7:22-24; Heb. 5:9/Wis. 4:13; Heb. 5:12/Wis. 13:6l; Heb. 5:13/Wis. 13:18;
Heb. 6:1; Wis. 6:15; Heb. 6:6/Wis. 6:9, 18, 7:27; Heb. 6:20/Wis. 12:8; Heb. 7:16/Wis. 1:3, 5:23, 7:25, 12:15, 17;
Heb. 7:26/Wis. 3:13, 4:2; Heb. 8:2, 9, 11/Wis. 9:8; Heb. 8:8/Wis. 11:14; Heb. 8:1/Wis. 18:24; Heb. 9:2-6/Wis.
13:4; Heb. 10:1/Wis. 9:25; Heb. 10:19/Wis. 5:1; Heb. 10:36/Wis. 13:6; Heb. 11:1/Wis. 16:21; Heb. 11:5/Wis.
4:10; Heb. 12:6-11/Wis. 3:5; Heb. 12:10/Wis. 18:7; Heb. 12:17/Wis. 12:10; Heb. 12:28/Wis. 4:10; Heb. 13:7/
Wis. 2:17; Heb. 13:20/Wis. 13:21, 16:13; Heb. 13:21/Wis. 4:10, 9:10. Cf. Plumptre, “The Writings of Apollos,”
332–34; A. Nairne, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Cambridge: University Press, 1922), cx–cxii; Spicq, L’Épitre aux
Hébreux, 1:42; The Book of Wisdom with Introduction and Notes, ed. A. T. S. Goodrick (London: Rivingtons,
1913), 8. Note also the similarities between Sir. 24:1-29, Wis. 10:1-21, and Heb. 11 (cf. P. Enns, “Wisdom of
Solomon and Biblical Interpretation in the Second Temple Period,” in J. I. Packer and Sven K. Soderlund, eds.,
The Way of Wisdom: Essays in Honor of Bruce K. Waltke (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 223, 225n.17. P.
Ellingworth notes Wis. 7:27 as a text the author of Hebrews certainly employed in writing Heb. 3:4 (in addi-
tion to Heb. 1:3/Wis. 7:26) and points to the commonality between Heb. 4:12 and Wis. 7:22—8:11 (esp. 7:23,
24) (The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993], 205, 261.
F. F. Bruce thinks that Heb. 2:14 indicates that the author belonged to the circle out of which Wisdom (he has
in mind here: Wis. 1:13, 14 and 2:23, 24) earlier arose (The Epistle to the Hebrews [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1990], 85–86). The interest in these parallels, evident in earlier works, does not seem to have continued in the
more recent studies on Hebrews.
- Hae r. IV.5.3; IV.25.1 (SC100.2: 432.62; 704.7); V.32.1 (SC153: 396.8-9 [Heb. 6:12; 11:39]); V.32.2
(SC153: 400.33[Heb. 11:13], 42 [Heb. 11:8-9]). Cf Orbe, Teología de San Ireneo, 3: 356 [Heb. 6:12; 11:39],
367 [Heb. 11:13], 372 [Heb. 11:8-9]; Roberts and Rambaut, ANF 1: 561, n.6. The SC retroversion has κομίζω
rather than ἀπολαμβάνω as in Heb. 11:39. Despite the difference, Orbe still says that “It is very probable that
Irenaeus was inspired by Heb. 11:39” (Orbe, Teología de San Ireneo, 3: 356). Orbe also draws our attention to
Heb. 4:1; 6:12; and 10:36 as also parallel texts to the concepts developed in Haer. V.32.1-2 (Orbe, Teología de
San Ireneo, 3: 356).
- Haer. V.3.2 (SC153: 44.32). Orbe believes Eph 1:19-20 or Rom 8:11 probably influence Irenaeus here
rather than Heb. 11:19, apparently because, as he notes, Irenaeus doesn’t consider Hebrews to be from Paul’s
hand and the current chapter, in his mind, is controlled by that apostle’s witness (Teología de San Ireneo, 1:
180). However, the tone of Irenaeus’s discussion pleads for the Hebrew text. He is responding to those who do
not have faith in the resurrection and who reject it (cf. V.2.2 and V.3.2). This makes Abraham’s faith in the face
of circumstances a perfect testimony to these false teachers.
- Hae r. III.1.2 (SC211: 24.31).
- Hae r. III. pref. (SC211: 20.26-37).
- Hae r. III.pref. (SC211: 20.28-30).
- Haer. III.5.3 (SC211: 62.76-77).
- J. Vansina, Oral Tradition as History (Madison: University of Wisconsin, 1985), 147. Emphasis added.
- Ibid., 190.
- Ibid.
- W. A.Graham, Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religions (Cam-
bridge: Cambridge University, 1987), 112.
- I am grateful to Fr. Denis Farkasfalvy for bringing this insight on Tertullian to my attention.
- The critical edition of Adversus Marcionem consulted was Contre Marcion, ed., trans., and annot. R.
Braun, Sources chrétiennes 368 (book 2) and 399 (book 3) (Paris: Cerf, 1991, 1994). See Adv. Marc. II.9.7 (SC
368: 68.51); III.14.3, 7 (SC 399: 132.16-18; 134.42-43). E. Evans seems to concur on the allusion to Heb. 1:14
(Tertullian Adversus Marcionem Books 1-3 [Oxford: Clarendon, 1972], 112, n.9.a). Braun also see possible
allusions to Heb. 1:7 and 10:39 (Adv. Marc. II.8.2; II.18.1) , but these seem to be citations of the Old Testament
